CHAPTER 1
Topic: Styrofoam reycling using fruit oil
A. Background of the study
In these days, as many environmental problems are becoming an issue, people are
starting to pay attention to the environment. Especially, people have started to realize that the
soil pollution from indiscreet trash reclamation is a serious problem, as it causes many side
effects. For example, as people bury huge amounts of trash in the ground, without giving it time
to decompose, the ground starts to be polluted, so the area near the sanitary landfill cannot be
used for other uses, such as farm land. Also the specific trash that cannot be decomposed in a
natural way becomes a huge problem, as it just stays in the ground without disappearing, and
keeps polluting the ground. As a representative example, Styrofoam is one that does not
decompose in a natural way, and it is known as the material that has a huge volume, so many
people have problems throwing it away or recycling it. There are not many companies that
recycle this material, Styrofoam, as it costs a large amount of money and it is not easy to
decompose or recycle it. Many new technologies are developed to recycle these kinds of
materials that do not decompose in natural ways, and people need to know more about the
material to recycle it in the right way, so it can be helpful for nature too.
Polystyrene, that mainly composes Styrofoam, has such a long history and evolution behind
it. A German apothecary, Eduard Simon discovered polystyrene in 1839. He isolated it from
natural resin, but he did not realize what he had discovered. Another German organic chemist,
Hermann Staudinger realized the discovery that Eduard Simon made was comprised of long
chains of styrene molecules, which is plastic polymer. Later in 1922, Hermann Staudinger
published his theory about polymers. He stated that natural rubbers where made up of long
repetitive chains of monomers that gave its elasticity to rubber. Hermann Staudinger wrote that
the materials manufactured by the thermal processing of styrene were similar to rubber, as both
of them are high polymers including polystyrene. Hermann Staudinger won the Nobel Prize for
Chemistry because of his research, in 1953. Ray McIntire, who was a Dow Chemical Company
scientist, invented foamed Polystyrene, which is Styrofoam. He said it was an accident, but his
invention came as he was trying to find a flexible electrical insulator. Polystyrene was a good
insulator, but it was too brittle. So he tried to make a new polymer that is like rubber as he
combined styrene with isobutylene, which is a volatile liquid, under pressure. As a result, the
Polystyrene foamed with bubbles, and it was 30 times lighter than regular Polystyrene. He
introduced his invention in 1954.
Styrofoam is one of the factors that cause serious soil pollution, as it does not decompose in
a natural way and it wastes a huge amount of space and money to recycle it. A more effective
way to recycle Styrofoam is needed, as dissolving Styrofoam by acetone is toxic to the
environment. During the research, the idea of Limonene was discovered, so it could be tested.
B. Statement of the problem
Main Problem: What could be the possible effects of fruit oils on the solubility of styrofoams?
Sub problems:
• Is there a significant difference on the ________ fruit oil used?
• Will the amount of fruit oil used affect the solubilty rate of the styrofoam?
C. Objectives of the study
This study aims to determine which of the following fruit oil would be more effective in
dissolving a styrofoam and to develop new eco-friendly ways of recycling Styrofoam. Also, to
determine which fruit oil has the greater effect on the solubility of the styrofoam.
D. Hypothesis of the study
• There might not be effects on the styrofoam when applied with fruit oil.
• There is no significant difference on the fruit oil used.
• The amount of fruit oil used will not affect the solubility rate.
E. Significance of the study
If the way of extracting peel oil from orange and lemon peel easily is developed, people can
use limonene from the peel in their house to recycle Styrofoam easily without wasting money
and space for it. This idea should be given to all the people over the world, so they can recycle
Styrofoam wisely in an eco-friendly way. This study will benefit people who uses styrofoam in
their company and in their community rather than using acetone and gasoline as their solvents.
This will also lessen the cases of soil pollution around the world.
F. Scopes and Limitations
This study will be conducted at the researcher’s residences on _________ 2011; academic
year 2011-2012. This study is limited in the determination of the effects of fruit oil on the
solubility of styrofoams. This study limits the amount of fruit oil used in the experiment.
This study is also limited on the effects of fruit oils used in varying amounts.